Fire and Ice
by DONT INJURE THE GINGER
Summary: Naaz just wants to play quidditch. Unfortunately, the chauvinistic pigs society affectionately dubbed men don't seem to understand that. If she would have known that she'd have to battle parents, staff, and idiot boys, she would have thought twice about trying out. Not to mention a certain silver-eyed boy who can't seem to stop making fun of her for it. Oh, this will be a joy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here it is! My first story! I hope you guys like it!**

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"Naaz! Get up now! Otherwise you'll miss the train. Pagal laraki!" The swift swish of opening curtains and bright stream of sunlight were more than enough to get me out of bed. The yelling was just an added bonus for her, I thought to myself. I groaned and lugged myself out of my room, dragging my towel behind me slowly as I headed towards the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, I emerged wide awake and minty fresh. My long, black hair was still wet, hanging down to my lower back. Most of my clothing had already been packed away in my trunk the previous night, though I ruffled through it to find something decent to wear. I grabbed the first pair of harem pants my eyes landed on and the first shirt my fingers grabbed. I smoothed down my shirt - though the wrinkles were still present - smiling at the face of Bob Dylan. I grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair into a lazy ponytail. I bounded downstairs to see Rakesh, my older brother, and his wife, Shilpa, standing in the doorway.

Rakesh flashed a grin my way. Shilpa merely smiled at me. I acknowledged her with a slight nod, returning the smile to be polite Rakesh and Shilpa had been married four years and I still felt awkward around her. They had been in an arranged marriage, a pairing brought forth by my aunt. Shilpa was the niece of one of her old friends. She was quiet, polite, and very smart. She was a pharmacist. It's not that I minded shyness… but a shyness that continued _four_ years of knowing a person? I didn't understand it, though I supposed it wasn't _me_ that needed to understand.

My brother Rakesh was a chemical engineer and loved his job. He was one of the smartest people I'd ever known. He was also witty and charismatic, according to all of our many aunties. To be honest, I kind of thought he was a complete weirdo. To each their own! Rakesh and Shilpa were almost opposites in a way, but after watching them shuffle around together, I realized they were a good math; they always gave each other these weird looks only they seemed to understand and moved around each other easily… almost as if they were one component simply split in two.

"Ready for school?" Rakesh asked.

"Yes, though I'm terrified. We have our OWL's this year. They're like our version of O-levels." Rakesh nodded and sipped at his tea.

"Don't worry too much about it. You'll do fine of course. You're a Chaudhary. We _always_ do fine." I shook my head, sitting down at our table to grab some toast. I ate qickly, keeping an eye on the clock. I'd have to be swift if I'd want to make it to King's Cross on time. Soon, we were all piling into our minivan, heading towards King's Cross Station. Rakesh and I entertained ourselves by messing with our little brother, Sohan, who was still half asleep. My mum scolded us, muttering to herself about Rakesh still being a child. We got to the station and Rakesh helped me with my things and we walked in front of the rest of the family, easily walking between the barrier of Platforms 9 and 10. My family was pure muggle and always had a hell of a time adjusting to the wizarding world… my world. Rakesh was the one who adjusted the easiest. We watched as the rest of my family came in, eyes pointed downward. Shilpa easily made her way right to my brother's side and he smiled at her.

"I hate when you leave… it's so boring," my younger brother muttered. "Don't worry Chotu. I'll write all the time and then Christmas will be here before you realize it!" He sighed and nodded. I looked over to my worried parents and smiled. "I promise to behave and work extra hard on my studies." They nodded.

"At least braid your hair nicely before you go! Shall I do it for you?" I shook my head, forcing myself not to roll my eyes or scowl.

"It's okay mum. I'll do it later! Look, I have to go now varna I'll be late!" I waved to them, saluted to Rakesh, and hurriedly pulled my things aboard the train, searching for an empty compartment.

As much as I loved and missed my friends, I always sat in an empty compartment. My parents expected me to do amazingly well in school if I was to play quidditch, so I pulled out the transfiguration textbook and began to read, pausing only to stretch and change. Soon enough, the train pulled into the station and I got out.

"Naaz, hello!" I turned around and beamed at the friendly red head who fell into step with me.

"Wotcher, Evans. How was your summer break then?"

"Oh, it as good! I made prefect!" Sure enough, my eye caught the gleaming badge on her cloak and I nodded.

"Well, congrats! I can't imagine any other girl who could be a better prefect than you, Lils." She grinned.

"Thanks, Naaz. How was your summer?" she asked, following me into a carriage.

"It was alright. Nothing too special," I said with a shrug. Just then, Dorcas Meadowes hopped into the cart.

"Bonjour!" Dorcas was pink in the face, her expression wild as if she had some kind of gossip… which she always did.

"Someone has some news!" Lily said excitedly. At this point, I felt a grimace form on my face. I wasn't hated by the girls in my dorm, but I definitely did not understand all this gossip. If I could, I'd never live with girls ever again.

"Oh, no, nothing really…"

"Liar!" The two girls giggled and I couldn't help chiming in.

"How can you tell someone's a liar? I mean, assuming that their pants aren't on fire." The two girls looked at me as if I'd grown an extra head and I almost sighed at myself. I always did that. I could be friendly and then one moment later I just said something completely stupid that probably made them wonder why they were friendly to me at all. I stayed quiet all the way to the castle.

I nearly jumped out of the carriage, hurriedly making my way into the Great Hall, eager to find someone who wasn't giggling about their new boyfriend.

"Naaz!" Before I could even turn around to acknowledge the voice, James Potter jumped onto my back from behind, nearly causing my knees to collapse. No, wait. I did collapse. Both Potter and I flew into the floor, limbs flailing.

"Potter! Could you go five minutes without killing someone?" Lily shrieked. I laughed and pushed myself away from James. I helped him up and he grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Zee. I was excited to see you!" I smiled, pushed my hair away from my face, and shrugged.

"S'alright! No broken bones, no foul." Before he could respond, the other three Marauders came into the Great Hall behind him, laughing loudly.

"Merlin, Zee, you alright? We saw that from a mile away," Remus Lupin asked, a taut smile stretched across his lips. Lily Evans sighed and walked away, seeing it pointless to scold the boys. I watched her go before smiling at them.

"Nah, I'm fine. But listen, I'll catch up to you muckers later, yeah? I'm going to go find Bones!" The boys nodded and I made my way towards the Gryffindor table, searching for a mop of blonde hair. I spotted Edgar Bones easily, sitting next to Frank Longbottom and Alice Prewett. "Wotcher guys," I said with a grin, slipping into the bench opposite them. Frank and Alice beamed at me while Edgar sighed loudly.

"Merlin, I was hoping you wouldn't turn up this year." I grinned wickedly.

"And I see the assassins failed yet again." Edgar Bones was possibly the biggest, most pretentious twat I'd ever met. It seemed as though one of his eyebrows was always raised, loudly judging the students of Hogwarts. He was rude approximately 115% of the time. He and Sirius Black were probably tied for having been slapped the most times. I was pretty sure Edgar was winning though, the prick. Edgar Bones simply loud, blunt, but unfortunately also unconventionally charming. He realized in fourth year that he didn't know what he wanted to do when he "matured" - I don't think he ever would to be quite honest - and it kind of messed with him so now he just sort of does whatever he wants.

He has no direction and doesn't care.

He also has a drawer filled completely with notes from people who want to hurt him physically, emotionally, etc. He takes great pride in that drawer. He was a class one asshole and my best friend.

Marlene McKinnon sat down next to me with a huff. I looked at her, suppressing a smile. "Everything alright, McKinnon?" She shook her head slowly.

"No, Naaz. Nothing is alright. The world is in _shambles_. I just saw the Fall/Winter De Montmorency line and it's _tragic_. Complete shit. Stripes **and **plaid, can you believe it?" I smiled, ready to respond, though Edgar beat me to it.

"Well, something _must_ be done! Where's Dumbledore? He should be aware of the news! Quick - get me the bleeding Ministry!" Edgar cried loudly, mockingly banging his fist on the table, causing people to turn their heads towards us. Frank and Alice laughed, shaking their heads. I would never understand how they could basically be the same person in different bodies.

"God Bones, could you be any more of a twat?" Just as Edgar was about to respond, the doors flew open, and first years flooded in behind Professor McGonagall. Edgar looked put out that he couldn't respond with the sudden silence in the hall. The sorting started with Ashen, Blake. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Edgar pounded on the table and made weird noises, almost like a cataclysmic amount of various animals all running into each other, causing the rest of the table to stare at him. The newly sorted first year was pink in the face but nodded his thanks to Bones. I snorted as McGonagall glared at Edgar who then slipped down into his seat.

What seemed like ages later, the sorting finally finished and the food appeared and I hurriedly started piling food on my plate. I looked up to see Edgar staring at me in disgust.

"Oh Zee, where have you been all my life you beautiful, well-mannered creature?"

"Hiding from you." He scoffed and dug into his own food, albeit, in a much more civilized manner than I. It was then that Marlene and Alice began to chatter excitedly about Marlene's new boyfriend and the fact that Alice and Frank finally got together, much to the dismay of Frank who kept blushing. Marlene turned to me suddenly, eyes gleaming. I wondered if that's what Satan looked like when a new person fell into hell.

"So, Zee, what about you? Any new men in _your_ life?"

"Uh, no. I like my men like I like my coffee. Ground up and in the freezer." Edgar choked on his food, laughing loudly and spraying Remus Lupin and Sirius Black with food. I looked over to the two Marauders before bursting out in my own laughter. Lupin looked amused whereas Black stared at Edgar incredulously.

"I hate you," Sirius said to Edgar shaking his head, his lips twitching into a weird smile. Edgar put his hand over his heart.

"I love you too, Black." Black laughed.

"Glad we could have this little talk, Bones." Just then, I heard a squeak of a voice speak up near me.

"Is it always like this?" I noticed it was the first boy who had gotten sorted. The one who Edgar cheered for. I grinned.

"_Always_. Welcome to Gryffindor, kiddo."

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**A/N: Hope you like it! Sorry if it's a little slow right now... it'll start to pick up next chapter! Remember to review! It'll make me happy! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I own nothing you recognize, J.K. Rowling is the queen, etc. etc. Also, don't forget to review! It'll make me awfully happyyyyyyyy! c:**

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"If Monday had a face, I'd punch it." I folded my paper over to see Edgar sit across from me.

"Well good morning sunshine!" Edgar gave me his infamous glare that once made a group of first years cry. Luckily, I was used to it by now. "Peak up, mucker. If your schedule is anything like mine, we've got a free period after a double potions." A butter knife fell to the table with a clang and Edgar looked back up to me with a scandalized expression.

"How in Merlin's pants is _that_ supposed to be _good_ news?"

"I'm just trying to be optimistic!"

"Optimism means you lack information."

"I apologize oh Lord of Pessimism."

"Oi, s'not my fault. I was born to be a pessimistic. My blood type is _B-negative_." I winced at his joke.

"Nice to know your puns still suck."

"Oi, my jokes are hilarious! I'll have you know I made a group of Puffs laugh yesterday."

"They're Hufflepuffs. They're hardwired to be nice and laugh at _all_ jokes, no matter how bad they are."

"Oh come on… I deserve at least a chuckle."

"Nope… not even _p_unny in the least."

"...I see what you did there."

"Oh did you now? It took you long enough. I was starting to worry."

"Oh, shut up." Just then, Peter, James, and Sirius sat down next to us. I raised an eyebrow, wondering where Remus was.

"Aren't you guys one dick short of your usual gay orgy?" I asked politely. Sirius looked up, half-amused and half-something I couldn't figure. James snorted.

"Someone is full of jokes today," he commented lazily, running a hand through his hair. I shrugged while sipping my orange juice.

"What can I say? I'm gifted." McGonagall passed by and handed out more schedules.

"Ah, dear Minnie. Ravishing as always - "

"I do believe it is the soft glow of the rising sun yonder…"

"Detention Mr. Potter and Mr. Black. 7 PM. Don't be late." As she left, the two boys high-fived and I let out a laugh.

"Moony is going to be gutted we already got our first detention. And before classes even started! That's got to be a record or summat." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"He'll get over it," James said waving his hand, before turning back to us. "So, you guys hear who's quidditch captain this year?" I perked up, looking at James. This year, I'd finally convinced my parents to let me play a sport. For the past four years they'd argued that I was a girl and that girls didn't play sport. Luckily, with the help of my brothers, I'd managed to get them to let up on me, but only if I kept my grades at the top.

"Who is it, Potter?" Edgar asked, half-asleep.

"Nathan McKinnon."

"Marlene's brother?"

"You know any other McKinnon's, Bones?"

"It's a popular name, _Pettigrew_."

"Not in this school, it isn't."

"Shut up, Black. No one wanted your input." Edgar huffed and took my paper, holding it up so that his whole torso disappeared behind it. I reflected on this information. Nathan McKinnon was a 7th year Gryffindor and a popular one at that. He was always surrounded by a group of people, but as much as he liked the popularity, he was always seen yelling at his 'fans'. He once tried to get McGonagall to let him put a bench press on the grounds so that people could see him workout. Once she turned that down, he and a group of other fitness freaks then turned a room in the dungeon into a mini gym.

They affectionately dubbed it as the _dun-gym_.

I affectionately wanted to vomit all over the place. Girls weren't even allowed to work out. They were only allowed to watch.

Nathan was just one of those high-strung guys. He followed a rigorous fitness regime (i.e. going for runs at 4:30 AM) and expected others to do the same. Quidditch was going to be hell, and judging by the look on James' face, I could tell he knew it too.

Unfortunately, this year I wanted to try out as well. I'd have to be practicing day and night just to match the level to that of the guys' on the team. I sighed and stabbed at my eggs, feeling a lot less optimistic than a few minutes ago.

"Woah, that fucking sucks, mate." Edgar said empathetically. James nodded.

"He's making everyone try-out. Even if you were on the team before, you have to try-out again. He wants the best team apparently… and he kept asking me to try out for seeker." I pursed my lips. James had originally been seeker for Gryffindor when he first made the team second year. Unfortunately, he didn't like it quite as much as chasing. When asked about it, he simply shrugged and said, "Can't do as many tricks while seeking to impress the ladies, now can I?"

"You're not going to try out as seeker though, are you? I mean, you love chasing!" I said in a voice that I hoped wasn't nervous sounding. Judging by the look on Edgar and Sirius' face, I could tell I failed. James didn't seem to notice as he looked at me aghast.

"_God_, no! I'm a chaser and that's what I'm trying out as. If McKinnon doesn't like it, then he can kick me off the team." I nodded slowly, knowing Nathan would never do that. James was damn good at the game and there was a very miniscule chance of getting the Quidditch Cup if James Potter wasn't playing.

"Why so worried, Chaudhary? Planning on trying out?" Sirius asked with a smirk on his lips. I glared at him.

"Yeah, so what if I am? What's it to you?" Sirius shrugged.

"McKinnon would never let you on the team."

"And why not?"

"Simple, you hit like a girl." I took a deep breath and tried not to throw something at the idiot right then and there. Instead I smiled and stood up.

"Yeah, I hit like a girl. But I'm sure you could too if you ever hit a bit harder." James, Peter, and Edgar erupted into laughter and Sirius scowled at me. I grabbed my bag and stomped out of the great hall. Stupid, misogynistic pigs. I'd show _them_ how hard a girl could hit.


	3. Chapter 3

It was 3:23 AM and I couldn't sleep. I groaned and sat up. I was sweaty and sticky, not at all comfortable enough to sleep. I grabbed a book and went down to the common room. I sat upon the window sill, allowing myself to be swallowed whole by the words of Nabokov.

Before I knew it, I was being shaken awake. Soft, grey light half-illuminated the common room, embers of a slowly dying fire still present in the fireplace. I shivered involuntarily, yawned, and looked up into the smirking face of Sirius Black. He stood up straight upon noticing my less than graceful awakening.

"Can I ask why you're sleeping in the common room at 6:30 AM?" I blinked and stood up, reaching for my book.

"Dorms were too hot," I mumbled, still in that weird space between sleep and consciousness.

"Mhm." I looked up at him. His steel grey eyes were twinkling, the smirk still present on his face.

"Can _I_ ask what _you're_ doing in the common room at 6:30 AM?"

"I was being… entertained," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. Unfortunately, I still caught on and didn't bother masking my disgust.

"Eugh, I don't want to know. I'm going to my own bed now." Sirius let out a loud bark of a laugh.

"Night Naaz."

"Night dick." Another laugh echoed in my ears all the way up to my dorms, reverberating around my skull until I finally rested my head on my own pillow and fell into the waiting arms of sleep.

What felt like mere moments later, I was being rudely awoken by the shriek of Marlene. I jumped up, grabbed my wand. After a battle with my drapes, I untangled myself, unsuccessfully falling to my face. I stood up and held my wand out in her direction.

"What? What?!"

"TWILFIT AND TATTINGS IS GETTING RID OF THE NEW FALL LINE!" She shrieked, wrenching her hands and staring at me teary eyed. I suddenly felt fatigue overcoming my senses. I didn't bother hiding my yawn.

"I'd like to offer moral support, but I have questionable morals," I said, walking over to my bed. I caught the time out of the corner of my eye and scowled. It was nearly time for me to start getting ready for the day anyway. I sighed and went into the bathroom, climbing into the shower, taking a quick shower. I finally got out after nearly falling asleep under the scalding water. By the time, I'd gotten dressed, walked to the Great Hall, and sat down for breakfast, I was feeling worse than ever before.

"Late night?" Edgar asked me coyly, raising an eyebrow.

"What gave it away?" I asked sarcastically, feeling annoyed already.

"Sirius," Frank said with a grin. "He told us he found you in the common room at 6 A.M." I let out a breath of air, anger rising.

"I think I need to have a word with that little shi-"

"_Language_, Mister Chowder!" Slughorn warned, passing us by. I found myself staring at him with my mouth agape. Frank and Edgar burst into raucous laughter, Frank going so far as to fall over onto the side of the bench.

"Are you two quite done?" I asked angrily.

"What's happened to them?" James asked, raising an eyebrow before seating himself next to me.

"Slughorn came by and didn't know Zee's name." James shrugged.

"So? He calls Remus Romulus nearly every day. What's so funny about that?"

"Yeah, but does he mistake Remus' _gender_ too?" James' mouth fell open as he turned to me wide eyed.

"Noo! He didn't…" I scowled and nodded once. James chuckled and shook his head. "I wouldn't worry about it. He's completely daft, he is!" I quickly changed the topic of conversation to quidditch which James accepted without a second thought. He delved into new plays he'd thought up over the summer, occasionally waving and beaming at the random student passing by.

I wondered how people could ever mistake James for being a bad person. To anyone who paid attention, James was basically the coolest guy at Hogwarts. He was popular, smart, witty, and kind to everyone, unless you were a Slytherin. That was his only downfall, really. James would never hurt a fly otherwise. He was quite popular with the younger years who were frightened of him at first, until they realized he was basically a pygmy puff.

James was even a hell of a better person than Lily Evans. At least, in my opinion he was. A loud bell rang out, signaling the beginning of classes and the four of us got up, making our way to Transfiguration.

"Are you really going to try out for the team this year, then, Zee?" James asked with a tentative smile, obviously having remembered my anger from the last time. I smiled back at him and nodded.

"Yeah, I've been practicing my arse off for _ages_. I would have loved to join sooner, but my parents wouldn't sign the slip. Apparently they too thought sports were too barbaric for a delicate girl like me," I drawled, causing Edgar and Frank to snicker. I slid into a bench and just as Edgar was about to sit next to me, Sirius pushed past him and slid in instead.

"Oi, you tosser! I was just about to sit there!" Sirius looked up, not even realizing he'd pushed Edgar out of the way.

"Sorry, I'm not sorry. This is _my_ seat, Eddy boy." Edgar crossed his arms, reminding me vaguely of a five year old.

"Yeah, I don't see your name on it!" Sirius grinned suddenly.

"Actually, yeah, it is. Right here." The three of us peered at the chair which had _S.O.B. _carved onto it. Sirius puffed his chest out with pride and I rolled my eyes. Of course. Only a boy of his caliber would be proud of cheap vandalism. Edgar raised an eyebrow at it and shook his head.

"S.O.B? As in 'son of a bitch'? That could be either of us really…" he said trailing off.

"S.O.B. as in Sirius Orion Black, you duffer."

"Mr. Bones could you please find yourself a seat?" McGonagall scolded him, narrowing her eyes at all of us. I turned away. Unfair! Why was I getting the McGonagall stare when I wasn't even the one causing trouble! Edgar looked around and then sucked in a deep breath.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." I turned and saw that Marlene McKinnon was sitting by herself. She looked up, saw Edgar, and she snapped her head around the room before coming to the same realization that they would be forced to sit together. Her face paled and she opened her mouth to protest.

"Mr. Bones! Please sit down!" Edgar glared at Sirius before sitting down next to Marlene. McGonagall went on with the lesson. I heard a small, repeated thudding noise. After a while, the class broke out into giggles. I turned around to see Edgar hitting his head against his desk repeatedly.

"Mr. Bones! Might I ask you to stop interrupting my class? I won't hesitate to give you a detention if you keep being a distraction." Edgar didn't answer, instead leaving his head on the desk.

I felt a piece of parchment rub against my forearm and I looked over to Sirius who was staring at me then looked down. My gaze followed his and I saw a small paper that he'd apparently slid under my arm. I unfolded it.

_Hey_. I rolled my eyes. Oh, Sirius. Ever the eloquent.

_What? _

_Just wanted to say sorry that the guys all know about you staying up late. I was telling them about why I stayed up late and I accidentally mentioned you. It slipped out before I realized it. Sorry, Zee._ I felt myself feeling warm in the pit of my stomach. I could never stay angry at any of the boys too long. They were so stupid, but at least they realized that they were wrong. I smiled at him and he grinned back at me.

_It's alright, you mucker. _

_Soooo I'm forgiven?_

_Course you are. Just don't do it again._

_You have my word! You're the best, Zee._

_I know. Is this why you wanted to sit by me? _

_No. This really is my seat. I carved my initials into it two years ago. _I shook my head, grinning at the note, pocketing it before McGonagall caught us passing notes.

McGonagall let us spend the remaining hour practicing the spell she'd assigned us. I caught wind of a conversation, or rather argument, involving Edgar. What a surprise.

"God, Alice, could you _be_ any more vapid?" I looked over to see Frank who was laughing along with Remus Lupin. I winced, feeling glad he hadn't heard Edgar's comment. Frank would have probably knocked the lights out of Edgar if he heard him insult Alice.

"I'm blonde. What's your excuse?" Edgar glared at her and I sighed.

"He's something else, isn't he?" Sirius asked with a grin. Apparently I wasn't the only one who'd heard. I shrugged.

"He's… he has his reasons. I always tell him to tone it down a bit, but he's basically a barnacle. What can you do?" Sirius laughed.

"A _barnacle_?" I nodded firmly.

"Yes, he's a barnacle."

"God, Zee, you're mad, you know that?"

"It's been suggested on multiple occasions."

"Especially if you're thinking about trying out for the quidditch team," he mumbled, shaking his head and returning to the spell at hand. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why, you really have a problem with it?" I asked, feeling my anger slowly come back. He held up his hands as if in surrender.

"I have no problem with a girl on the team. Maybe a girl is exactly what we need… especially if it'll get rid of those ghastly protein shakes McKinnon keeps trying to force feed us. Nate on the other hand isn't so welcoming to women unless they plan to admire him." I bit my lip, forcing my attention to the task at hand. My anger dissipated and quickly turned into worry. I'd been practicing for years. What if it was all for naught? I finally get my parents to agree and I don't even make it onto the team. How embarrassing it would be to write home to them and Rakesh, telling them about how all my hard work was for nothing. I could already feel the disappointment oozing from Rakesh's favorite blue pen. "Hey," Sirius interrupted, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If you're the best to try out, not even Nate will mess a chance at the quidditch cup. He wants to win more than he cares about having an all guy's team." His gray eyes pierced mine and I gulped. I'd never been this close in proximity to Sirius before. He was radiating with warmth, his breath was on my face. Minty. I could even count all the light freckles that dotted his face.

"Thanks, Sirius."

"Anytime, Zee. Now, how in the fucking hell do you do this spell?"

"Detention Mr. Black!"

"Aw shit."


	4. Chapter 4

"So… try-outs today," Edgar said slowly, taking another bite of his pancakes. I nodded slowly, moving my food around the edges of my plate unenthusiastically. "I don't think I've ever seen you fly, actually. Sure you wanna try-out?" he asked. 235. It was the 235th time he'd asked. I glared at him.

"Shut up, Ed. Eat your food like a good little boy." He held up his hands in surrender.

"Just saying. Anyways, you're one to talk. You'll sooner pass out from lack of nutrition than catch a snitch." I sighed and pushed the plate away from me, resting my head on the table.

"M'not hungry."

"Maybe you should go rest up then? You've got two hours to kill anyway." My stomach churned and I closed my eyes tightly. Two more hours for my nerves to fry. I stood up slowly, pushing myself out of the bench.

"I think I'll go work on that essay for Charms." Edgar nodded and shrugged.

"I'll join you in a bit, then." I nodded, pushing my hands into my trouser pockets before heading out of the Great Hall back towards the Gryffindor dorms.

It was no surprise that I couldn't concentrate. Two hours passed by dreadfully slowly. As the time got closer, I packed up my things and ran up the dorms. I pulled on a hooded sweater, my sweats, and some old trainers. Edgar met me at the bottom of the stairs and we walked down to the pitch. I'd asked to borrow a school broom, which was gripped in my left hand tightly. It was the best of the worst brooms. Unfortunately, I didn't see why my parents had to buy me a broom just yet. As we neared the pitch and I noticed the gleaming brooms of most of the players, I'd never felt so horrible in my life. Sirius grinned and waved us over. He was standing next to Remus and Peter who looked quite tired.

"You're trying out on a school broom?" Sirius said, eyeing my broom with a look of incredulity. I sighed and nodded.

"I told my parents not to bother yet. I might not even make the team so what would be the point of buying a broom?" Sirius shrugged and groaned as Nathan yelled at him to go sit with the beaters. He saluted me lazily, throwing me a grin as he walked off.

"Good luck out there, Chaudhary!"

First, McKinnon had made all the chasers try-out. James looked annoyed and wasn't even into the try-out. Even though he'd looked half-asleep, he was still one of the best players on the team. He, Jordan Blanc, and Robert Macmillian worked well together. Then he'd made the beaters try out next. It was no surprise that Sirius Black and Chris "Twitch" Neal stole the show there too. Chris was the youngest member on the team, being a third year. Most people were shocked when he made the team in his second year, as a beater no less. He was a really clumsy kid, always falling about and running into things. So far this year, he'd run into three doors, five columns, and eighteen people. It was only the end of September. He was also known for getting excited about electricity and things that blew up. He was known as Twitch because whenever he saw something light up, his eyes got wide and he started to twitch around, desperately wanting to tear it apart and figure out how it worked. However, once seeing him in the game, all doubts of his skill were wiped from everyone's mind. He was quick and strong. His bludgers were always precise too. The try-out's for keeper were not going to happen, seeing as that was Nathan's position. That and no one had even bothered coming to try-out against him. Suddenly, he was calling out for seekers. I sucked in a deep breath.

"Right, you're up, Snazzers." I glared at Edgar as we made our way to the center of the field.

"For the record, I blame you for all of this."

"What?! This was _your_ idea!" Edgar said in a near whine.

"Well, you should have talked me out of it." I flashed him a weak smile before kicking off the ground and soaring into the sky. I felt so out of sorts on a broom. Seeing as I didn't actually have a broom, I practiced all last year on it then practiced my reflexes. The snitch would be fast, but I was going to be faster.

"Right! Since there's four of you here, we'll do a competition. I'll release the snitch. The first person to catch it will be safe. The second person to catch it will be safe too. Then those two will face each other. Whoever wins, wins." I nodded while Nathan spoke. Simple enough. I looked over to the other candidates. They all had a hell of a broom. Gavin and Jesse both had Comets, which were decent, but Aaron had the nicest broom. The newest Cleansweep. It was going to be hard to beat such a quick broom. "Ready?" Nathan asked us all. We all nodded. He pulled a snitch from within the folds of his robes. He clicked it and then held it above his head. The snitch twitched then disappeared behind him. He looked to us before nodding. "Go."

We were off. I decided not to move. Nathan disappeared towards the commenter's box with the other team members. It was undoubtedly the best seat in the stadium as it had a complete overview over the entire Quidditch pitch. I patted my broom.

"Don't worry. We'll, ah, find it, won't we." I was thankful I was up here alone. I was already thought of as mad enough. Didn't need to add talks-to-self to that list of _charming_ attributes. I scanned the pitch, before noticing the snitch. I zoomed off towards the Hufflepuff stands. Unfortunately, Aaron noticed my sudden movement and was neck and neck with me. I reached out as quickly as I could to grab it, but my school broom was no match for his Cleansweep. His fingers closed around the snitch and he pulled back, thrusting his fist into the air in victory. The small crowd cheered for him and I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down.

If I'd had a better broom…

"One down, three to go!" Nathan called. He hopped onto his broom and took the snitch from Aaron, clapping him on the back. "Great job there, kid. You're a natural." I glared. He wouldn't have even seen the snitch if it wasn't for me! "Alright, go to the stands. The rest of you, get over here. We're going to start again. Ready?" Gavin, Jesse and I nodded. He held his fist in the air and let go of the snitch, before heading back to the commentator's box with the rest of the team.

Again, I stayed on my broom, motionless. Twenty minutes had passed and I still hadn't seen the snitch. I had scanned the entire pitch. Could snitches leave? I entertained myself with a thought of a snitch going home to his snitch wife, talking about how he'd left a couple of seekers on the pitch looking for him. He laughed and then his wife began lecturing him about how he was going to lose his job. For Merlin's sake, he had two snitch-kids to look after! Did he really want to have to ask his snitch-father-in-law for help?

I shook myself out of my stupor, mentally cursing my imagination. Then I saw it. Right next to the commentary box. Sirius grinned at me, cocking his head to the side. I flashed a grin back before zooming off towards the box. Luckily, I was closer to the commentary box than Gavin or Jesse. The snitch swooped down and I cursed, pushing my broom down. I was moving quite fast and I wasn't sure if it was the broom itself moving forward. Was I falling? I grabbed the snitch and whooped loudly, pulling my broom up sharply. I cursed softly at the abrupt movements of the broom. I could only imagine how smooth Potter's Nimbus was…

I was brought out of my reverie by cheering from the Gryffindor stands. I turned to see Alice, Marlene, Lily, Mary, and even Emmeline jumping up and down. Edgar seemed to be dancing, though I couldn't be sure. I laughed and shook my head. The entire quidditch team pulled up on their brooms and Aaron pulled himself next to me. I handed the snitch back to Nathan who nodded. No congratulations? He was such a prick.

"Right, so good job to you two. The next part is obvious. You'll be against each other to catch the snitch. However, this time you'll be searching for the snitch as we practice a small game." I gulped and Aaron looked at Nathan slack-jawed. "You know how to catch a snitch on an empty field, but let's see how you do with other players, a quaffle, and a bludger on the field. Potter, you'll be Keeper since I'll be referee. Black, Macmillian, and Chaudhary versus Blanc, Neal, and Johnson." We all nodded. Nathan blew his whistle and the players shot off, Macmillian being the first to grab the quaffle. Black and Neal weren't even taking this mock game seriously, only tossing the bludger back and forth at each other to see who could hit first. Nathan let go of the snitch and Aaron tore off to look for it. I stayed in my spot, scanning diligently. My stomach was eating me up and I groaned. I really should have eaten breakfast. I was starving. And I needed to pee. But I was pretty sure that was the jitters. My right leg bounced slightly, vibrating the entire broom. I was too distracted to care, however, still looking for the snitch. How long had it been since we'd been playing? Suddenly, I noticed a bludger heading towards me. I gasped and dove as quickly as I could.

"Sorry, Chaudhary!" Neal called out as he passed me, knocking the bludger back towards Sirius. Okay, no more being distracted. My heart beat fast but then I saw it. The little glittering ball was right by James. He hadn't even noticed it, weirdly enough. I always thought he'd had a sixth sense when it came to snitches. I slowly started my descent towards the hoops, hoping it was just me looking like I was mindlessly floating around. Unfortunately, Aaron looked at me, then his eyes were cast downward and I cursed as he started zooming forward. He saw it too. I knew that I was just as high up as he was far away. I wouldn't make it in time. I started going downwards, begging my broom to pull through. I couldn't make it. I wouldn't make it.

But… I had one thing going for me. 120 pounds of mass and a knowledge of gravitational theory that most of them wouldn't understand. I mentally thanked Rakesh, before heaving myself forward. I stood up on my broom, ignoring the yells of Edgar and the gasps of the students in the stands. With the snitch and James in my eye, and the knowledge that Aaron was coming closer, I did the only thing that would get me that snitch faster.

I jumped off of my broom.

I held in a shriek as the wind deafened me, roaring past my eardrums. I pushed myself forward, my hands outstretched. Suddenly, my fingers closed around a small metal object. Before I could rejoice, I looked up to see Potter was looking down at me, racing towards me with a determined look in his eye. He reached to grab my hand and I quickly grabbed onto his forearm. His broom lurched dangerously forward and he nearly toppled off of it himself. With my other hand, I grabbed onto his broom and he helped me sit on it.

"You… are bloody mad, Zee," he told me, looking quite frightened. My heart was pounding and I felt like I was going to throw up. I was also trying to hold back a feeling of shock that would probably result in tears. I didn't cry. No way. Instead, I smiled back at him.

"Yeah, but I caught the snitch." He shook his head and laughed.

"God.. oh _God_. I think I'm going to be sick," he said, shaking his head. "Never do that again, Zee. Never!"

"Chaudhary, are you insane?!" Aaron had caught up to us and was looking at me with a wild expression on his face. I shrugged.

"I like Quidditch as much as the next guy, but I'd never do that," Sirius said, slowly lurching to a stop in front of us. "Merlin, Zee. One minute I'm swinging a bludger around and the next thing I see is you jumping off of your broom to catch a _damn snitch_! Are you out of your mind?!" I winced.

"But… I did catch it," I said, holding up my hand. Sirius shook his head.

"If you ever do that again, I will kill you. Then, I'll bring you back to life. Just so I can kill you again." He growled out at me. I nodded.

"Noted, Black." Nathan finally caught up to as the same time as the rest of the team. They all opened their mouths, but Nathan held up his hand.

"Snitch, Naaz." James moved his broom forward and I handed it to him. "Ground, everyone!" We all came down to the ground where Edgar was quickly marching over to me. Crap. "Alright, outstanding effort today! The new team list will be posted in the common room tomorrow evening at the latest." With that, he walked off the pitch.

"NAAZ CHAUDHARY, NEVER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE HAVE I EVER BEEN SO UTTERLY THROWN OUT OF MY SKIN!" I cringed, slowly taking a step behind James who grabbed me and pushed me in front of him.

"Oh _hell_ no am I dealing with Bones. You did it, you can face the consequences," James said with a fearful look in his eye. I gulped.

"WELL? DO YOU EVEN HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY?"

"Uh-"

"NO, OF COURSE YOU DON'T. YOU'RE NAAZ. IT'S PERFECTLY OKAY TO JUMP OFF OF A BROOM HUNDREDS OF FEET IN THE AIR IN YOUR OPINION! NO REGARD TO THE PEOPLE IN THE STANDS WHO CARE ABOUT YOU. NO, POOR OLD FRANK NEARLY BURST INTO TEARS-"

"I don't think that was me-" Frank started but Edgar cut him off.

"Shut UP, Frank! No one was talking to you! Go on and cry somewhere else!" Frank looked amused at the scene and shook his head. Alice glared at the back of Edgar's head and I looked down at the ground, holding back a grin.

"I think that perhaps we should all go to the common room and relax now? We're all pretty riled up with that last performance so maybe Sirius and James can go get some hot chocolate and we can all work on that Potions essay that I'm pretty sure no one's thought of," Remus said soothingly, placing a hand on Edgar's shoulder. Sirius and James winked, high fiving.

"Where are they going to get hot chocolate?" Lily asked suddenly.

"Ah, that's for us to know and for you to never find out!" Peter said with a grin.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Wormtail." Sirius said with a grin. Sirius and James split up with us in the entrance hall, heading towards the dungeons. Edgar and I were in the back of the group, walking silently.

"So, does this silence mean you've forgiven me?"

"Don't be silly. No one plans a murder _out loud_." He muttered, flashing a glare at me.

"Come off it, you mucker. You know how important this was for me. I've been wanting to try-out for years! It was unfair that I had to try out with a bleeding Shooting Star when everyone else had good brooms. My body falls faster than Aaron's broom could move and it was the only way I could have caught the snitch!" Edgar suddenly grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I patted his arm awkwardly as he pulled away.

"I know you don't like hugs, but I think you needed that."

"_I_ needed that?" I said, smiling at him. He waved his hand.

"Anyway, next time think before you do that. If you would have died, think of how horrible I'd have it down here. Stuck with Longbottom, his leech, and McKinnon for company?" He shuddered at the thought and I let out a laugh, throwing an arm over his shoulder.

"God, Bones. You think I'd leave you even in death? You know I'd be here every day as a ghost, taking the mickey out of ya." He nodded.

"Good. Though you'll have to leave sometimes. Can't have you around when my hands make themselves useful for once." I pulled away and made a face.

"You're sick." He winked.

"Would you have it any other way?"

"Hell no."

"That's what I thought."

"Shut up, you mucker."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's been forever! BUT I finally updated! Though it did kind of suck. I didn't want to break this chapter up but I wish I could have written it better. *Sigh* Oh well. Since I took forever, I made this extra long! Nearly 3K words for you fine folk! Don't forget to review/follow/favorite! I love receiving those little notifications! :D**


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